


Earth Shattered

by MegaShinyObject



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Hurt No Comfort, I cried while writing this so you might cry too, I'm so sorry...., Sad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-06
Updated: 2016-12-06
Packaged: 2018-09-07 00:21:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,156
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8775727
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MegaShinyObject/pseuds/MegaShinyObject
Summary: Reinhardt gets some bad news about Ana.AKA: Bring tissues.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so WARNING before we start this:
> 
> THIS IS SAD. I came up with the idea for this while I was feeling sorry about myself in one of my depressive moods. I hate myself for this, but it was one of those things I had to write in order to get it out of my head. I haven't been able to write for a while, so sad as it is, it helped get some creative juices flowing.
> 
> I need to write something happier after this, Jesus. I'm in tears just writing it.
> 
> So, enjoy, as much as you can. Or don't. Probably better if you don't enjoy it too much...
> 
> Might hit ya harder if you listen to this while reading: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ICIFp5foCqw

Reinhardt Wilhelm looked far older than he felt.

His hair was grey, his face wrinkled and skin calloused with age. He supposed he was lucky he hadn't gone completely bald, like his father before him had. Reinhardt loved his hair, he didn't want to lose it. He'd worked so hard to maintain himself, to stay young and fit for as long as he could, but as he looked himself over in the mirror, he realized one thing he'd been trying to ignore for a while now.

He was getting old.

He was one of the oldest members of Overwatch, aside from Ana and Torbjorn. He didn't feel it, but he certainly looked it, according to the old man staring back at him through the mirror. It was tough for him, the idea that he could ever get old. He was and always would be a young man at heart, he was sure. He wished his body could reflect that, though.

Luckily for him, he wasn't done living yet.

Reinhardt had a date tonight.

Ana would be returning from her mission any moment now, and they were going to go to the mainland and have dinner, maybe see a movie. Maybe walk the beach, he wasn't sure. Technically they'd been dating for years, but because of the damn "no fraternization" rule, this would be their first open date, the first one everyone knew about. Though he was certain everyone probably knew about the others, anyway. They weren't exactly masterminds when it came to trying to hide the stolen kisses and secret dates. Fareeha certainly knew about the relationship (she'd caught her mother kissing Reinhardt and called them out on it), and had probably told Angela, since those two seemed close. But it was the first date they wouldn't have to even slightly worry about, and that was exciting.

Ana had essentially told Jack that she was going to go to dinner with Reinhardt after this mission, and that Jack would just have to suck it up. She reflected what Reinhardt had been thinking up to that point, "I'm too old to deal with this bullshit anymore. I love the man, we're going on a date, and that's that."

So that was that.

Ana had told Reinhardt to pick a place on the mainland for dinner and they'd go when she got back from her mission. She'd even promised to wear a dress, which had surprised him; he'd never seen her in a dress. He hadn't even known she'd owned a dress.

He was more excited than he probably should have been for that damn dress.

So he'd made the plans. He had a place all picked out, he'd gone to Fareeha for help on what to wear (their last few dates had been in dark corners of the facility so they'd never bothered to dress up), and he had a surprise all planned out he hoped Ana would agree to.

Reinhardt was getting older. He had nothing to lose.

This date would be the best damn date ever. He would make sure of it.

He took a steadying breath, checked his pockets to make sure everything was there and adjusted his hair in the mirror. The dropship would be returning any second now, and he really should be there to greet Ana when she got off....

A knock at his door drew Reinhardt from his thoughts and he blinked himself back into reality from daydream-land. He went to answer it.

On the other side of the door stood a battered and bruised Jack Morrison. Reinhardt was surprised, he hadn't expected the ship to return now. He'd wanted to greet Ana when she came off the ship, and he'd missed it.

Jack looked distraught, though and it worried Reinhardt. Jack never looked distraught. He was a pinnacle of calm and cool at all times. It's why he was the spokesman for Overwatch, because he was able to keep a level head in any situation. Plus he hadn't taken the time to clean himself up after the mission, he was still in his uniform and everything....

"Rein..."

Instantly, Reinhardt knew something was wrong. Jack was visibly fighting back tears; Jack never cried...

"Jack...?"

The next three words that came from Jack's mouth sent Reinhardt's entire world shattering into pieces.

"Ana is dead."

He didn't remember falling to the floor, but that's where Reinhardt found himself next, in a heap on the ground at his bedroom door, tears streaming down his face as he looked up at Jack with an expression that simply begged for it not to be true. It couldn't be true, it just couldn't be. They were going to go to dinner, they were going to go walk the beach, they were going to....

The ring in Reinhardt's pocket suddenly felt heavy and intrusive, and all at once he wanted to be rid of it while also never letting it go.

They were supposed to be together forever...they'd promised to be....

She'd promised she would come back.....

She was gonna wear a dress...he was gonna propose...

No.....Not Ana....Not his beautiful Ana.....

His mind was reeling and the world spun. He found himself clinging to the floor to keep from simply falling off the earth. Everything hurt. Every part of him inside and out suddenly hurt and felt empty all at once.

His soul was being torn in two.

He was vaguely aware of Jack's voice apologizing over and over again. Less aware when Angela showed up and helped him to a chair, offered him water he refused to or was unable to drink, he didn't know. The world was blurry and grey, and he knew he was crying hysterically, but he quite frankly didn't care. At some point Jack left, leaving Reinhardt alone with the sweet but currently overly attentive Angela.

Reinhardt knew she was trying to help.

He just didn't want it.

At some point Fareeha came into the room, Angela left, and the two most important people in Ana's life just sat together crying.

By the time the funeral came around, Reinhardt had no more tears to give. He held Ana's daugher in his arms as she cried, but he just....he couldn't anymore.

He had cried himself dry.

He wished he could cry more. He wished the tears would flow; he wanted them to.

More than anything, he just wanted the pain to stop. He wanted Ana to be alive.

He wanted it to be a bad dream.

He wanted to hold Ana in his arms again.

He wanted more than anything for everything to just...go back to the way it was before.

The next time he looked at himself in the mirror after that, Reinhardt Wilhelm felt exactly as old as he looked. He wasn't young anymore. He would never be young anymore.

"Goodbye, Ana," he whispered to himself, to his reflection, "I love you...I always will..."

**Author's Note:**

> In my headcanon, Reinhardt was forced into retirement shortly after this, which wouldn't help his mood much. But I figured that the story was already depressing enough, so I didn't add that part in. He gets better, obviously, by the time the game's continuity begins, and becomes the loud boisterous, adorable shield-bearer we all know and love. I imagine that's what he was always like, but judging by in game interactions with Ana (and the fact that I ship them HARD), I figured her death would probably hit him pretty hard. Only person hit harder would probably be Fareeha, but I don't think I could delve into those feels.


End file.
